Obama Warns Democrats Against 'Circular Firing Squad'
- 5 years ago
Former President Barack Obama held a town hall event in Berlin.
Former President Obama has warned progressives about the dangers of what he calls a "circular firing squad" aimed at fellow Democrats who are seen as "straying from purity on the issues," notes the New York Post.
During an Obama Foundation town hall event in Berlin, Germany, Obama told the audience: "One of the things I do worry about sometimes among progressives in the United States--maybe it's true here as well--is a certain kind of rigidity where we say, 'I'm sorry, this is how it's going to be.'"
"Then we start sometimes creating what's called a 'circular firing squad,' where you start shooting at your allies because one of them is straying from purity on the issues," he continued. "And when that happens, typically the overall effort and movement weakens."
"You have to recognize that the way we've structured democracy requires you to take into account people who don't agree with you and that, by definition, means you're not going to get 100 percent of what you want," Obama later added.
His remarks come as some Democrats "have embraced sweeping proposals such as Medicare-for-all and the Green New Deal plan to combat climate change, others have balked, arguing that the party should take a more centrist approach," notes the Washington Post.
Former President Obama has warned progressives about the dangers of what he calls a "circular firing squad" aimed at fellow Democrats who are seen as "straying from purity on the issues," notes the New York Post.
During an Obama Foundation town hall event in Berlin, Germany, Obama told the audience: "One of the things I do worry about sometimes among progressives in the United States--maybe it's true here as well--is a certain kind of rigidity where we say, 'I'm sorry, this is how it's going to be.'"
"Then we start sometimes creating what's called a 'circular firing squad,' where you start shooting at your allies because one of them is straying from purity on the issues," he continued. "And when that happens, typically the overall effort and movement weakens."
"You have to recognize that the way we've structured democracy requires you to take into account people who don't agree with you and that, by definition, means you're not going to get 100 percent of what you want," Obama later added.
His remarks come as some Democrats "have embraced sweeping proposals such as Medicare-for-all and the Green New Deal plan to combat climate change, others have balked, arguing that the party should take a more centrist approach," notes the Washington Post.